Sleigh Bells + Danny Brown + DoldrumsTerminal 5
Friday & Saturday, 9:00 p.m., $25
Yes, we have seen less than half of 1 percent of all Sleigh Bells shows, but we still feel confident in claiming that their 2010 Treats album release gig at Ridgewood Masonic Temple was among the duo's all-time best. And last year's Reign of Terror-supporting Terminal 5 affair? Nearly as good, with Alexis Krauss's strolling vocals and high-energy stage presence translating to the midtown warehouse just as seamlessly as Derek Miller's hardcore-influenced guitar licks and hip-hop-influenced programmed drums. Expect tonight's show to fall somewhere in the middle: Krauss and Miller's third album, Bitter Rivals, doesn't match their debut, but Detroit's Danny Brown is set to provide the best opening act the band has ever played with. -- By Nick Murray

Beach Fossils + Perfect Pussy285 Kent Ave
12:00 a.m., $10
It's been a long road for Beach Fossils. Beginning as the solo project of Dustin Payseur in 2009 and quickly rising to fame with a self-titled debut and EP, Beach Fossils created a space of fuzzed-out indie pop that would define their native Brooklyn for years to come. At the beginning of 2013, the band released "Clash the Truth," a cleaner, albeit more formulaic post-punk work, somehow complicating and harkening back to their initial, undeniable energy. Take all that and add new Syracuse noise punks Perfect Pussy, and you've got a late night riot. -- By Maria Sherman

Iva BittovaThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
7:00 p.m., $40
The Calder Quartet has been juicing up its Metropolitan Museum series of Bartok string quartets with musicians from outside the classical world. David Longstreth performed some Dirty Projectors tunes with them earlier this month, and Czech violinist-vocalist Iva Bittova is their guest tonight. Born in 1958, Bittova is a uniquely fascinating figure who, like Bartók, takes profound inspiration from the folk songs of Moravian Slovakia. The old ways burn bright in her fractured, ghostly cadences. The Calder Quartet perform Bartok's second and sixth quartets; Bittova joins them for Moravian song arrangements by Leo Janacek (as heard on her 2004 album Moravian Folk Poetry in Songs) and to explore the sorts of otherworldly improvisations featured on ECM's Iva Bittova, released earlier this year. -- By Richard Gehr

Celestial Shore + Banned Books + Laser Background + ZulaShea Stadium BK
8:00 p.m., $8
Prog-pop with a psychedelic glint doesn't get much better than this spunky young Brooklyn trio consisting of Greg Albert (bass), Max Almario (drums), and Sam Owens (guitar). Their Greg Saunier-mixed 10x is a smart, concise mix that Deerhoof and Dirty Projectors fans would do well to access. In person you will be impressed by their jagged pummel and high voices. Also: Banned Books, Laser Background, Zula. -- By Kory Grow

Jonathan Richman w/ Tommy Larkins + Hilton ValentineBowery Ballroom
9:30 p.m., $18
Over 40 years into his career, Jonathan Richman remains one of underground rock's most intriguing figures. His '70s band Modern Lovers inspired punks like Sex Pistols and art rockers like John Cale, and then he achieved quasi-fame in the '90s, thanks to an appearance with drummer buddy Tommy Larkins in There's Something About Mary. He largely refuses interviews so what we know of him, we've gleaned from his performances and songs: He loves the Velvet Underground, he resents air conditioning, he's not afraid of romance, he likes to dance at lesbian bars. What more do we need to know? -- By Kory Grow